SB 140, as amended, Leno. Firearms: prohibited persons.
Existing law establishes the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account in the General Fund with moneys in the account available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law requires the Attorney General to establish and maintain an online database to be known as the Prohibited Armed Persons File, sometimes referred to as the Armed Prohibited Persons System, to cross-reference persons who have ownership or possession of a firearm with those who are prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
This bill would appropriate $24,000,000 from the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account to the Department of Justice to address the backlog in the Armed Prohibited Persons System, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the department to report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee regarding ways the backlog in the Armed Prohibited Persons System has been reduced or eliminated, as specified. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) California is the first and only state in the nation to establish
4an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon
5owners who might fall into a prohibited status.
6(b) The online database, which is currently known as the Armed
7Prohibited Persons System (APPS), cross-references all handgun
8and assault weapon owners across the state against criminal history
9records to determine persons who have been, or will become,
10prohibited from possessing a firearm subsequent to the legal
11acquisition or registration of a firearm
or assault weapon.
12(c) Each day, the list of armed prohibited persons in California
13grows by about 15 to 20 people. There are currently more than
14begin delete 19,000end deletebegin insert 20,000end insert armed prohibited persons in California. Collectively,
15these individuals are believed to be in possession of overbegin delete 34,000end delete
16begin insert 39,000 end insert handguns andbegin delete 1,590end deletebegin insert 1,670end insert assault weapons.
17(d) Neither the Department of Justice nor local law enforcement
18has sufficient resources to confiscate the enormous backlog of
19weapons, nor can they keep up with the daily influx of newly
20prohibited persons.
21(e) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this measure to
22allow the Department of Justice to utilize additional Dealers’
23Record of Sale Special Account funds for the limited purpose of
24addressing the current APPS backlog and the illegal possession of
25these firearms, which presents a substantial danger to public safety.
Section 30015 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
(a) The sum of twenty-four million dollars
28($24,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the Dealers’ Record of
29Sale Special Accountbegin delete inend deletebegin insert ofend insert the General Fund to the Department of
P3 1Justice to address the backlog in the Armed Prohibited Persons
2System (APPS) and the illegal possession of firearms by those
3prohibited persons.
4(b) No later than March 1, 2015, and no later than March 1 each
5year thereafter, the department shall report to the Joint Legislative
6Budget Committee all of the following for
the immediately
7preceding calendar year:
8(1) The degree to which the backlog in the APPS has been
9reduced or eliminated.
10(2) The number of agents hired for enforcement of the APPS.
11(3) The number of people cleared from the APPS.
12(4) The number of people added to the APPS.
13(5) The number of people in the APPS before and after the
14relevant reporting period, including a breakdown of why each
15person in the APPS is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
16(6) The number of firearms recovered due to enforcement of
17the APPS.
18(7) The number of contacts made during the APPS enforcement
19efforts.
20(8) Information regarding task forces or collaboration with local
21law enforcement on reducing the APPS backlog.
22(c) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
23subdivision (b) is inoperative on March 1, 2019, pursuant to Section
2410231.5 of the Government Code.
25(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall
26be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
27Code.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
29immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
30the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
31immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
32In order to address the current Armed Prohibited Persons System
33(APPS) backlog and the illegal possession of firearms, which
34presents an immediate danger to public safety, it is necessary for
35this act to take effect immediately.
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